Combined seed planter



March 19, 1935. E. WEHRHAN 1,994,552

COMBINED SEED PLANTER Filed April 20, 1934 "2 Sheets-Sheet l"HIHHHHMHIII "HI HHHlTIl] UIHIIWHHIII WWW!" INVEN TOR March 19, 1935-.

COMBINED SEED PLANTER Filed April 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EXTORAT ORXEY 5. WEHRHAN 1,994,552 v Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED STATECOMBINED SEED PLANT-Ea Edward Wehrhan, Earp; Calif.

Application April 20-,

Thisinvention is an agricultural apparatus of;

the class of seed planters.

It is an object to provide a 'machine which will serve in one 'operationto opena ground furrow, to place fertilizer in thefurrow,

to throw a bed of soilover the fertilizediurrow, to rake the bed smoothand mixthesoil and the fertilizer; to open a trenchthe prepared: soil,to

drop-in seed at desired intervals along the trench,

and to lay soil over the seed.

An additional object is to providea one-man operated machine for theelimination of several separate machine operations, and operators, and

' thereby in planting seed.

save in time consumed A further purpose is to providemeans tomaintain auniformdepth of fertilizer furrowand of seed trench regardless of gradeundulations, the trencher and and to provide forelevation of; rakedevice while turning at row ends.

The invention consists in certain advancemerits in this art as set forthin the ensuing disclosure and having, with the'above, additional objectsand advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose construction,combination and details of means, and the manner of operation will bemade manifest in the description of the. herewith illustrativeembodiment; it being under stood that modifications, variations andadaptations may be resortedtowithin the scope,.prin"ci,- pie and spiritof the .inventionias it is more directly claimed hereinafter;

Figure .1 is a horizontal sectional view'of the" apparatus with partsinplan,and omittingithe soil inwardly and make a upper framework. t Figure2 is a diagrammatic; side elevation and partial section of theapparatus; the draft tongue beingibroken awayI Figure is a detail ,planand section. ofthe rake elevator. s 7

Figure 4' is ,a sectional, view of the lower portion of the fertilizerbin.

Figure 5 is an axial sectional View of the lower portion of the seeddispensing device. Figure 6 is a plan of the interchangeable seed spacerand gauge plate.

In its illustrated embodiment the apparatus.

includes a substantial, appropriately built-up frame structure 2supported on anarched axle 3 having end journals for side wheels 4 ofany desired type. frame is a draft At the forward end of s PATENT OFFICE6 Claims. (01411-73) v Extending forwardly from the tongue 5. I

the frame there is a downwardly extending set of verti'cal'guide bars 6between the lower portions of which there is disposed a fertilizer bin7' slidably receiving the legs having side boxes 8 6 so that the bin'mayhave' free relative up and down movement as to the guide legs 6.

Extending through a shaft 9 having 10 which" support the bin at auniform distance as fixed on its ends apair of wheels and cause it toremain to the grade-of the'soil.

Fixed to the front of the bin '7 is a bracket 11 having a downwardlyextending horn 12 to which is secured at any desired elevation a fur rowmaking p1ow 13 which acts to cut thefurrow as the vehicle is that thefurrow of furrow as determined Fixed on the drawn forward. 7 It will beseen plow 13 cuts a uniform -depth by the grade wheels 10'.

shaft 9, Fig. 4, is an -agitatingthe bottom of the bin 7 is a evice l4!to-break up fertilizer in the bin to facili-" tate its discharg ethrough a bottom shoot 15 of the bin. When turning corners or for otherreasons the fertilizer discharge may be stopped by a slidable gate 16mounted below the agita tor 14 and operativeby a simple wire rod lever17-, Fig. 2, the handle of which is extended to a position contiguous tothe the frame 2.

vehicle seat 18 on Spaced: as desirable in rear of the'bin '7 is a"suitable pendant bracket 19 having spaced side legs with foot portions'20 to which maybe adjustably' secured journalarms 21 of respectivediscs 22 which are shown in Fig. 1 as disposed at rearwardlyconvergingeach side ofthe chine. The pur which has been angles; one disc onlongitudinal center of the mapose ofthese discs is to throw bed over thefertilizer placed i the furrow prepared by the forward plow l3.Byadjusting .thediscs 22 angularly or laterally the width of the bedcanbe easily determined.

Just in the rear of the discs22 there is disposedla' transverse rake ofa bracket 24- which is 23 fixed'to the lower end secured to a rakebeam25 which extends forwardly and is pivoted at 26 on a suitable hangerwhich may consist of a brace device 2'7 connecting 6 and the bracket 19.

The rear end of the rake the hanger or guide beam is turned downwardlyand there is secured thereon a vertically adjustable trench plow to diga trench has been raked o 28 the purpose of which is in the fertilizedbed after this ver by the rake which has the function of mixing the soiland the fertilizer in readiness for seed planting.

In order to provide for elevation of the rake and trench plow, as whenit is desired to turn at the end of a row or for other purpose, asuitable means is provided. As shown the elevator includes a link 29 tothe upper end of which there is connected by a swivel 30 an elevatingshank 31 passing through the center beam ofthe frame, and having ahandle 32 at its upper end by which the operator maymanually lift therake device.

The shank is provided with side notches 33 and is adapted to workvertically in a keyhole 34 pro-- vided in a plate 35 and permitting theshank to be rotated a quarter the keyhole plate 35 and thus sustaintherake device at the desired elevation abovethe ground. This device alsodetermines thedepth at which it may be desired to cut thetrench bytheplow, 28. I

is arranged just rear of the consists of an outer shell 37- having aclosed bottom 38 and provided with side,"

A seed dispenser trench plow-.28 and guide boxes 39 slidably and freelyreceiving vertical guide legs 40 fixed to the frame 2. Extending intothe shell 37 and above'its bottom is a shaft 41 having a fixed end wheel42 and a loose end wheel 42 running on the grade at the sides of thetrench made by the plow 28 and which wheels thus maintain the seedplanter at a-unia form distance above grade. Fixed on; the shaft 41'is apinion 43 which engages an inverted crowngear44 provided on a disc valve45; whichhas a flange 46 receiving and turnably fittingthe lower end ofa seed hopper47 which is fixed in the shell37;

The disc valve 45 is turnablysupported on an elevated table 48 fixedinthe shell 37 and; having a seed discharge spout 48' extending throughthe shell bottom 38 to a suitable degree for dropping the seed directlyinto the trench as shown in Fig. 2 Thetable 48 has a large seed aperture49 and the gear valve 45 has one or more seed apertures 50 to registerwith the table aperture'for the discharge of seed at regular intervalsand at suitable distances alongthe trench asdetermined by the rate ofrotation of the gear valve 45 and the number of its seed apertures 50.

For the convenient regulation of the seed dispenser as to the size ofseed being planted and the number at each dropping and thespacings ofthe droppings along the trench there is provided a plurality ofselective gauge and spacer plates of which one is indicated in planat'51. This plate has two seed apertures 52 registering with aper tures5 0 in the gear valve 45. The spacer plate 51 is also provided with anaperture 53 to pass over a stud 54 fixed on the centerof the table 48and having an also has an aperture 56 to receive a positioning on thevalve gear 45 so. as to determine the relative position of the aperturesof these parts,

A brush 58 sweeps on and issecured-on a bridge 59 one end ofwhichengages in the Wall of the hopper 47 and the otherend fits down over thescrew part ofthe stud turn so as to bring it astride frame wheels 4.

upper threaded end 55.. The plate 5l the boats valve plate 51 54 and isfastened by a nut 60. I ready removal of the brush and change of thevalve plates 51 as may be desired.

At such'times as may be desired seed discharge is stopped by a slidegate 61 mounted on the bottom of the table 48 and having a stem.62 towhich is connected any suitable operating lever or device 63, Fig. 2,the reach of the operator of the apparatus.

For safety the rake elevator shank 31' may be engaged in its adjustedposition by a. suitable latch 36. f After the seeds have been dropped inthe trench 66 to the rear of the seed dispenser, drags earth overtheseed in completion of the process. It will be seen that the containers737 have a.

This provides for. I

handle of which is extended within a covering roller 65, which isconnected by links 1 '15 free, vertical sliding'movement on the 'guidesthe wheels of the containers run and thatthey are independent of 6-40according to the lay of the soil over which Whatis'claimed is: a

- 1. An implement or the class described time,

ing awheeled frame, a rake ,beam pivoted onthe frame, a trench plowattached to the beam, and

means to regulate the depth of plow cut and to' elevate the plow fromcuttinglevel, means to makea furrowm advance of the rake means. todeposit fertilizer 1n the furrow, means to bed soil over the-fertilizerin advance of the rake and plow, and a seed planter made by the trenchplow.

: 2. An implement of the class described having, wheeled, main framehaving.

in combination a 7 guide devicesfixed thereto, a planter having free,vertical, guidedmovement on the said devicesand including a shell, ashaft mounted on the sheila ground grade'wheels on the shaft forsupporting the shell at a givendistance above grade, and seed dispensingmeans, in the shell, actuated by the said; shaft; said planter risingand falling freely as tof'the said guide devices accordingi to gradeeffect onthe planter wheels. v l 3. A machine? for distributingfertilizer anddeto -place seed in the trench,

likemovement of themain positing seed, having, in combination, a main}wheeled frame, a means for distributing fertilizer, a means forplacingseed inthe fertilized soil, and guide" means attached to theframe providing for-l the free vertical movement of the fertilizingmeans and the seed means according to soil grade along theline ofplanting to accomplish uniform depth of planting. 4.. Aimachin'e as setforth in claim 3 andprovided with means between the fertilizing meansand the seed planter for bedding and mixing the fertilized soil.

5. A machine asset forth in claim 3'and in which the fertilizingleading, furrow plow, a seedcovering device; I h

6. A machine as set forth in claim 3, provided with means for making aseed trench in advance means is provided witha andv the seed planter hasof the seed planter, and having a device for controlling depth oftrench.

- EDWARD WEHRHAN."

